Specifications | Features
| Transmission Tech
Well it's finally here, and we've spent a full day riding it! Honda's
full-time four-wheel-drive 499cc Foreman Rubicon with Hondamatic™
Continuously Variable Transmission. In short, this tranny is hydraulically controlled
using the engine's oil for its fluid. This machine has been in the works at Honda
for nearly 5 years, and it does away with the typical belt drive and pulley systems
typically found in automatic ATVs. What this means to the end user is less revving to engage the
transmission, quieter operation, less maintenance, and a claimed increase in reliability.

The hydraulic transmission is mated with Honda's computer controlled dual-mode
change program (a horsepower or torque mode selection) and their Electric Shift Program (ESP™) which,
when in the manual mode, allows shifting at your discretion with the touch of your finger.
While the transmission will undoubtedly be the
big focus for those looking to buy this machine, there's so much more to the new
Rubicon.

Our opportunity to ride the Rubicon came under perfect Southern
California conditions - snow, rain, and a bit of everything else
in-between. This
allowed us to ride through 4 inches of fresh snow, submarine through deep
water, ride up slick hills and off-camber trails as well as to push the
machine to its limits sliding fire roads. Nothing could have been better for experiencing
the new Rubicon.

Through all of these conditions the Rubicon performed extremely well, handling all that
was thrown at it while providing excellent comfort and with great composure.
One doesn't quite know what to expect when first hopping aboard an ATV with a
hydraulic transmission and manual hand operated shifting. How
will it pull and what's the shifting change going to feel like; these were some of the questions
running through our minds.

The answer is that it all works very well
thank you, and pretty much like nothing before. The transmission engages at a
low rpm and off you go. No high revving to get belts engaging, just squeeze the throttle and off you go. In short, the
new Rubicon is a new ATV to be reckoned with by the competition. Understand,
however, the reason for this has as much to do with the
rest of the machine's make up, as it does its one-of-a-kind transmission.

Of the machines endearing strengths, comfort ranks right up there at the top. The Rubicon is a big machine to be sure, which allows for a
less cramped layout. The handlebar-seat-footrest layout is comfortable, as is
the seat itself which allows for very good body movement sliding roads or
shifting your weight on the side of a hill. Other Honda ATVs felt somewhat
cramped for larger riders after spending time aboard the Rubicon.

Another exceptionally strong feature of the Rubicon is the machine's
incredibly light and quick steering, unlike most 4-wheel drive ATVs. Though
other OEMs have been making their 4 x 4 models easier to steer, we know of
nothing that steers like the Rubicon. The new
Honda takes the prize with virtually no 4x4 torque effect. The Rubicon was even
easier to steer than Honda's own smaller Rancher, a model known to posses light steering. This trait is welcomed everywhere you take the Rubicon
and it allows you to choose just about any line you like when blasting down
fire roads.

The suspension on the new Rubicon was also a pleasant surprise. It's so
compliant you don't notice much other than a great ride. You actually need to focus
on how the suspension is working, as it otherwise goes mostly unnoticed. And work well it does, from
side hilling, to deep ruts, to fast roads. Don't get us wrong, this isn't a sport
ATV, but for a large utility type machine it's very good.

Another nice touch is the floorboards which feature indentations that make it easier to move your toes or
heels around below the footpegs. The handlebars are comfortable and
feel natural, and the thumb throttle is easy to push. Through all types of riding the
gas tank proved comfortable and
unobtrusive, once again quite a surprise for such a big machine. There's also a water tight rear storage
compartment, a stainless steel exhaust system, and two-piece aluminum wheels.

The Rubicon's bodywork provides excellent splash protection by way of it's black fender
extensions. When crossing deep puddles, water shoots out around you, but the rider stays dry. Only when you rush huge
water holes or dive only one wheel into a deep hole does the water find a way to
the rider.

Honda spent a good deal of time developing their new flagship
ATV which was actually in development before last years Rancher. According to Honda, development focused on nearly every detail of the new
machine like the shape and placement of the gear selection lever. Special
emphasis was placed on mass centralization, a low
center of gravity, and reducing overall weight. The result is a machine that simply isn't tipsy under any of the circumstances we encountered.
Not in corners nor on rutted off-camber hills.

Honda's all new engine design (its first liquid cooled ATV
engine ever) is an overhead-valve
single-cylinder 499cc four-stroke mounted longitudinally to allow for a direct
drive-shaft alignment to the front and rear wheels. The engine is rubber
cushioned and features a gear-driven counterbalancer. Lots of attention was
given to making the engine as short as possible to aid in providing a low center
of gravity. This entailed using an under-head camshaft (UHC™) located, you
guessed it, just
below the cylinder head. The four valve head uses two short push rods and the
oil tank is mounted to the front of the engine to reduce engine height further.

The 33.5mm CV carb features an electrically heated float bowel
for use in cold temperatures, ignition is by CDI, starting is electric with an auxiliary
recoil starter.

Honda claims this new engine is actually quite a high
performance item, but this is something we won't be able to fully experience
until they plant it in a more performance orientated machine. In the 600 pound
Rubicon (claimed dry weight), the engine pulls well though it's not a screamer by any
stretch of the imagination - and remember it's a 4 x 4 utility machine. In the normal auto
mode, the Rubicon doesn't feel peppy, just extremely compliant and competent.
There's sometimes a slight feeling of sluggishness as you start out, particularly on hills. In the low
automatic shifting range things pick up a bit with a quicker and more powerful
surge.

D1 = Horsepower modeD2 = Tourque modeESP = Manual shift

Take your pick:
Low range, Drive (normal),
Neutral and Reverse.

Manual Shifting: The
up
arrow shifts up, the down arrow downshifts.

If the Rubicon's auto shifting isn't allowing the
machine to rev out as much as you'd like, you can simply switch to
manual shifting and rev the machine as you like. Manual mode is
uncanny as shifting in this mode is unbelievably simple, quick and smooth. All you notice
is a change in the engines power delivery either in acceleration or engine
braking. On fast fire roads this can gain you a little time over the auto
shifting mode, but once you reach a corner watch out, as the automatic mode
has the upper hand. If you
shift even slightly early or late the guy using auto shift will pull away. The auto
shifting mode is always in the correct ratio and doesn't make mistakes from
our experiences. Manual
shifting will allow you to select a gear (actually a ratio) that suits your
needs. You can then simply leave it in this position for towing a load at a
constant speed.

With the Rubicon transmission you simply have it your way whatever that
may be. You select drive, low, neutral or reverse from the conveniently located selection knob, and you select normal D1 (horsepower mode), torque mode
D2, or manual electric shift ESP from the dash-mounted knob. What impressed us most
about the gear selector was
how easy it slipped into gear. No clunking or rocking the lever back and forth
to get it to engage. We saw one tester perched precariously on three wheels at
the top of a downhill he'd rather not descend. Switching into reverse to get out of this situation simply required a light
pull on the selector knob into reverse.

Honda also worked hard to give the Rubicon engine breaking
similar to that of a normal gear driven ATV. Our observation is that they hit the mark
which means engine breaking is effective no matter the conditions. The brakes worked well but
it was impossible to completely evaluate them in the sloppy conditions we enjoyed all day.

Honda claims no special service is necessary with the new
transmission other than
regular oil changes with quality oil. The power transfer efficiency of the
Hondamatic transmission is said to be less than a gear driven transmission,
but a bit more efficient than belt drive systems. When you ride the Rubicon you
get a sense that it's taking power to work this transmission. Top speed is just over 50 mph, but it doesn't get there quick, at least
running at 5,500 feet or so.

Additional features include a multi-function LCD providing gear selection,
speedometer, odometer, resettable tripmeter, and an hourmeter and clock. Twin
headlights use 30 watt halogen bulbs, the hitch has a towing capacity of 850
pounds and cargo racks are rated at 66 pounds front and 133 pounds rear. There
is a 12-amp 12 volt accessory socket, a 3.4 gallon fuel tank with reserve, and
a gas cap type fuel gauge. There's a top mounted choke lever that's not
anywhere as easy to use as Honda's own handlebar mounted unit on the
Rancher.

The new 2001 Honda Rubicon is available in red or olive and carries a 6
month limited warranty. Suggested retail pricing in the US is $6,999 and
units should be available in dealerships beginning June 2000.